Back to the review, it was a solid conclusion to the manga series/first anime season. The original Genshiken still stands as the best Genshiken for me, but Nidaime had some great moments as well and besides, it focused on the unsung hero of the manga, Madarame. He and Saki are the soul of Genshiken, so him getting the focus was a much needed development and idea that was left nearly unexplored in the original manga. So, for that reason alone, reading Nidaime was worth it since it effectively tied the knot around Madarame's character. Madarame is the quintessential Genshiken character, the one that most accurately demonstrates what Genshiken really is all about. And then, there's Saki. Who steals the show every time she appears and always changes the status quo whenever she's present, since she's actually not an otaku by any means - she's the most grounded, realest, no-nonsense character in the entire story. And for that reason she's also what makes Genshiken special, together with her complete opposite, Madarame.
In Nidaime, there's also Hato, who basically takes the deuteragonist role with Madarame. Hato is a really complex character, in many ways. I enjoyed how things turned out with him and i somewhat understand what he represents and how important he is for the overall message of Nidaime. In many ways, the original Genshiken was all about the old otaku culture and Madarame is the one who best represents that culture. As for Nidaime, it's all about the new otaku wave, it's all about the new generation of otaku. And that is basically the reason we went from a nearly all-male cast to an all-female one. The otaku world has changed and Genshiken explores that change in dept while also tackles some important social issues that are now more prominent than ever. Lastly, the way Shimoku gave closure to most supporting characters (the cast is big and many characters take the spotlight over time) is also worth noting, even though some of them still remained kind of a mistery at the end given the lack of focus on them, and that's probably the least positive aspect of Genshiken, but it's hardly something off-putting, at least for me. Everyone gets their fair share of development, after all.
Going back to the start of this review, i've always seen Genshiken not merely as a manga, but rather as a social study about manga and otaku culture, with lots of subtexts orbiting around: like the limbo between reality and 2D, interpersonal relationships, even sexuality, gender identity and discrimination - a manga that deludes the reader to think in a 2D kind of way only to cheekily defy his expectations with the most realistic comebacks you could possibly pull. It's a story based on hardcore otaku that primes for its striking realism despite how the characters usually behave and think. And above everything it's an incredible work that deserves to be read by any manga/anime fan.
